Sweet and Tangy Wings

For me, chicken wings have sentimental value. That might sound like a stupid thing to say, but I think most people have at least one food that makes them feel happy, or nostalgic, or something gushy like that. Chicken wings are one of my happy foods.

Wings were a staple of my junior and senior year of college. Every Thursday, my friends and I would race to Cornerstone, our favorite local bar, to take advantage of 25¢ wings. The thing is, you had to arrive before 10pm to get the deal. If you couldn’t get there by 10, we would call in your order to one of our friends who was already there (and if you were first to arrive you usually had to order about half a dozen varieties of wings). But what made wing night so great, is that it was a standing date with my friends. We’d eat a ton, have a vodka cranberry (pretty much all of our drink of choice at the time), and then we’d dance all night. It was a blast, and today wings still remind me of happy times with my college buddies. Below are some college pictures, circa 2007.

Rellenos de Papa (Stuffed Potato Fritters)

I love kitchen gadgets and accessories. Unfortunately, not all of my gadgets will get moved to London – you know space concerns, different outlet plugs, and such. So I want to use my gadgets before I put them in storage. The deep fryer is number one on that list. (My friends have even asked if I’ll have a deep fryer party).

Anyway, I’ve made today’s recipe before but I thought the deep fryer would take it up a notch. This recipe is a Puerto Rican recipe that is essentially seasoned ground beef, covered in potatoes, formed in to a ball, and then deep fried. Over the years, Ryan and I have made this recipe about a half a dozen times with mixed success. It always tastes good, but often the balls fall apart either while being formed or while in the oil. I thought using the deep fryer would help ensure good taste and good looks.

Sausage Roll

Remember when I said there was new home for cooking is messy? That was a little misleading as I’m going back to Virginia tomorrow for a bit. I’m blue about it. I’ve started to feel comfortable here, the apartment is starting to feel like home, and Ryan and I have been having some wonderful adventures. And I feel heartsick about being away from him for so long. We joked about putting the blog on hiatus because my chief taste taster wouldn’t be trying the food. But I’ll keep posting, though I think there will be more vegetable dinners (what I eat when I’m alone) and rich chocolate desserts (what I like to eat for a pick me up). 

Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice

Moving to another country has its ups and downs. There are things that if they happened at home would be small victories or minor setbacks, but because we’re in a new place everything seems amplified. Let me tell you about some of it.

On Tuesday, Ryan and I had an appointment to set up a bank account. We arrive at the bank and the person we were supposed to meet was out sick. Also, part of the ceiling had collapsed so things were a mess. We had to reschedule. Sigh.

Chorizo Mac & Cheese

Plain old pasta topped with butter and Parmesan cheese is one of my favorite things to eat. Is that embarrassing because it’s so simple? Maybe.  But, pasta and cheese make me a happy girl. 

So, I was elated when my friend Lisa bought me the wonderful cookbook Melt for Christmas. It’s a cookbook entirely about macaroni and cheese recipes. Cheese? Pasta? TOGETHER!?! Let me step up my pasta game. 

Shepherd’s Pie

I don’t know how to be suave, so I’ll just blurt it out. Ryan and I are moving to London. Soon. As in, the beginning of March. Well, truly the timing is a bit wonky, but the important fact is we’re moving to London.

Basically, Ryan’s job gave him a promotion and a transfer to their London office. Exciting right?! I’ll be honest, I’ve felt a ton of emotions about all of this. Excitement, over living in a new city and seeing new sights! Fear, of starting somewhere new. Stress, over all the logistics of moving. Proud, of Ryan’s great accomplishment. Sadness, over leaving my wonderful job and moving away from family and friends. And happiness, that Ryan and I are able to take on this wonderful adventure and live abroad, which is something we have both dreamed about.

Spicy Carrot & Beef Tagine

Thank you to everyone who submitted to the first-ever cooking is messy giveaway. Congratulations go to Meg, and her comment about Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma! That is a really great book, and one any food-lover should consider. So this weekend, I will be sending Meg her copy of Jacques Pepin’s Essential Pepin.  Before moving to the recipe, let me tell you just a bit about Meg. She is incredibly well-read and knowledgeable about books.  Her blog, A Bookish Affair, has great reviews of all kinds of books (my favorite are the ones on historical fiction). And, she posts all the time! Seriously, many times a week. I’m always impressed by how often there is a new post. You all should check her out!

Baked Rigatoni

If your Thanksgiving was anything like mine, you might still be feeling stuffed even a few days later. Ryan and I had three Thanksgiving dinners: one with my college friends, one with my family, and one with his family. On Thanksgiving day during dinner with my family, I told them baked rigatoni was my next intended blog post, but then after all the eating I felt wary. Would anyone be interested in such a hearty dish right after Thanksgiving?

But I thought about it and said, why not?! Let’s lean into the holiday season of hearty foods, decadent meals, and rich desserts. Now, don’t get crazy and give up your exercise routine, but let’s wait until January 2nd to worry about our meals. So here’s a great meal that will make you feel cozy on a cold day, that’s great to serve to holiday house guests, and will provide you with workday lunches you’ll eagerly gobble up.

Taco Salad

thanks to Charlotte for suggesting I include my learn to cook dude!

This is one of Ryan and my favorite, go-to, weeknight dinner recipes. Ryan loves Mexican flavors. I love rice and beans. It’s a great meal. But even so, I’ve been debating about posting this. I even made a pros and cons list. Here it is:

Fried Chicken

I think I lost my mind the other day. So, I’m working a real full-time job now so I don’t have the leisurely cooking time I used to. But, I got it into my head that I wanted to make fried chicken (which I’ve never done before) after work. And I was also going to make a vegetable (easy no prob) and skillet cornbread (also never done before). Who decides to take on all that after work? I think it’s a crazy person who does that.

Now not only was I going to make an extensive new meal, I didn’t even have all the ingredients. When I got home I put my stuff down and then walked to the grocery store. And then, after looking around a bit, walked to another grocery store because I didn’t like how expensive things were at the first place.  At 7:30pm my mom called me to ask how it was going. I had called her earlier in the evening to ask for the recipe. This recipe is actually my grandmother’s, and it’s one that my mom recently started making again. My grandmother was a great cook and made most things from scratch. My memories of her are often in the kitchen cooking us up something warm and delicious. And so, my mom was passing on the recipe to me. It has been over two hours since I had called her, so it’s understandable she expected me to be done.